SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



7i 



In Smitham Bottom, where the three dry valley.s 

 converge, the angular detritus presents another 

 facies. This is well shown in the pits at Purley, 

 where there is hardly any matrix. The flints 

 are weathered, discoloured, and begin to show 

 signs of wear. The only difference between this 

 and the typical rubble-drift is that it has a washed 

 appearance. Though the constituents are the 

 same, there is in addition a quantity of very small, 

 subangular gravel, derived from some older drift 

 such as that filling the " pipes " in the chalk 

 quarry at Purley station. Further north, at 

 Croydon, the angular detritus passes laterally into 

 the river gravel. 



The Subangular Gravel of the Eocene 

 Tract. — Beyond Croydon the lower terrace drift 

 takes the form of a rather coarse river gravel. It 

 is similar in composition to the angular detritus 

 we have just been considering. It differs from 

 it, in that the great bulk of the flints are of an 

 ochreous colour and have every corner rounded 

 off through long-continued rolling. There can be 

 no doubt that the same force which produced the 

 rubble-drift in the dry valley supplied the greater 

 part of the flints to the ancient Wandle during the 

 lower terrace epoch, for at that time the river 

 flowed, as it still flows, entirely through soft Eocene 

 strata, which only contain flint in the form of small 

 pebbles. This tract starts with a broad sheet 

 extending east and west between Croydon and 

 Carshalton, and narrows irregularly northwards 

 until it is but an eighth of a mile wide at its 

 junction with the Thames gravels of the same 

 horizon at Wandsworth. This sheet is nearly all 

 on the right bank, there being a very little on the 

 left side between Croydon and Carshalton, and 

 north of this only a solitary patch around Merton 

 and Morden. 



As is the case with all porous gravels of this 

 type, mammalian remains are very rare and repre- 

 sent only some of the larger animals which existed 

 at the time of their deposition. I have a molar of 

 mammoth from Mitcham, and Dr. Hinde, in the 

 paper already quoted, records in addition the find- 

 ing of bones of rhinoceros, horse, reindeer, and 

 roebuck (Capreolus caprea). It is noteworthy that 

 the reindeer remains both from here and the 

 Caterham Valley are referred to the large form, 

 which is so common in the Thames Valley, and that 

 they therefore belong to the " woodland " group 

 of this species. More important is a Palaeolithic 

 flint implement of the pointed type, which I ob- 

 tained from a section exposed in Miles Lane. It 

 is much rolled, and the edge is very battered 

 through use. It is not perfect, a portion of the 

 base having been broken off before it found its 

 way into the old river bed. I have also a trimmed 

 flake, that I found on the common. 



In looking over some gravel which had been 

 laid down in a road near Tooting Junction I came 

 across an undoubted Palaeolithic flake. This is of 



special interest, as although it is stained a dec], 

 ochreous colour it is as sharp as when first struck 

 oft' the original piece. Unfortunately I could not 

 find out where this gravel came from, though it 

 was doubtless of local origin. 



Newer Deposits. -Newer than the Palaeolithic 

 drift is the comparatively modern alluvium which 

 fills the old bends iji the river bed. It consists of 

 sand, mud, and peat ; but little is known of it, and 

 nothing of its contents. It may date from 

 "Neolithic to recent times. While relics of Palaeo- 

 lithic man are thus so scarce in the valley of the 

 Wandle, Neolithic tools are extremely abundant in 

 the surface soil, especially on the chalk slopes, 

 which are literally strewn with flint flakes, cores, 

 scrapers, etc. 



Sutton. Surrey. 



YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS' 

 UNION. 



TTPON the invitation of Mr. George T. Porritt, 

 ^ F.L.S., F.E.S., of Grassland Hall, near 

 Huddersfield, the members of this Union, to the 

 number of about a hundred, gathered from all parts 

 of the county, for a meeting at his residence. 

 Favoured by exceptionally fine weather they had 

 the pleasure of exploring the Colne, Holme, and 

 Meltham Valleys. The visit was preceded at about 

 ten o'clock in the morning by an examination of 

 the considerable Natural History Museum con- 

 nected with the Huddersfield Technical College. 

 This was explained by Mr. S. L. Mosley. It includes 

 the late Joseph Whitwam's Conchological collec- 

 tion and the late Samuel Learoyd's collection of 

 minerals. Dr. Kawson, F.I.C., the Principal, con- 

 ducted the party over the rest of the Institute. 

 Subsequently the members divided into three 

 sections, the first party under the guidance of 

 Messrs. T. W. Woodhead, F.L.S.. and A. W. Sykes. 

 the second party was conducted by Messrs. Mosley 

 and Bulmer, and the third by Messrs. W. Tunstall, 

 F.E.S., and Harry Mellor. These sections visited 

 the districts above named. 



At about five o'clock in the evening the whole of 

 the members assembled at Crossland Hall, which 

 is charmingly situated in a wealth of woodland, 

 where they were entertained by the President and 

 Mrs. Porritt. After the repast addresses were given 

 on various subjects by the President, Messrs. E. 

 Hawksworth (Leeds). Dr. Corbett (Doncaster). 

 Lawton (Skelmanthorpe). Law (Hipperholme), 

 J. H. Rowntree (Scarborough). K. McLean (Harro- 

 gate), Crowther (Elland). Tunstall (Meltham Mills). 

 Bayford (Barnsley), Woodhead (Huddersfield). 

 Crosland and Cash (Halifax), the Rev. W. Fowler 

 (Liversedge), and several others. The success of 

 this excursion shows the importance of County 

 Societies being organised in the admirable manner 

 attained by the Yorkshire Union. 



